X Mangave plant named ‘Falling Waters’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique X Mangave plant named ‘Falling Waters’ characterized by a medium mound of broad, fleshy, longitudinally folded, medium green foliage that is cascading, and with faint spots that intensify from moderate yellow-green to mahogany-colored with greater ultraviolet light exposure. The new plant is suitable for the garden or as a potted plant in the garden or home.

Botanical classification: hybrid; Manfreda times Agave, known as XMangave.

Variety denomination: ‘Falling Waters’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct X Mangave hybridplant, X Mangave ‘Falling Waters’ hybridized by the inventor at awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA as cross between aproprietary unnamed Manfreda maculosa (not patented) as the female orseed parent times an unnamed selection of Agave ovatifolia (notpatented) as the male or pollen parent. The cross was performed on Jun.4, 2012 and seeds were harvested and sown later in October of 2012.Through trials at the same nursery the plant was assigned the breedercode XMANG-12-52-08. The new plant has been successfully asexuallypropagated initially by sterile shoot-tip tissue culture at the samenursery in Zeeland, Mich. Both methods of asexual propagation systemshave been found to produce stable and identical plants that maintain allthe unique characteristics of the original plant.

No plants of X Mangave ‘Falling Waters’ have been sold, under this orany name, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filingof this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been madeprior to the filing of this application with the exception of that whichwas disclosed or sold within one year of the filing of this application,and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

X Mangave ‘Falling Waters’ differs from its parents as well as all otherManfreda, Agave and X Mangave known to the applicant. The female parenthas foliage that is narrower and more linear, thinner in cross section,has smaller marginal teeth, leaves are more succulent, with moresignificant mahogany spotting and less arching. The male parent hasfoliage that is more ovate and compact, flatter, with larger marginalteeth, more fibrous, and no mahogany spotting. The nearest comparisonplant is X Mangave ‘Whale Tale’ U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.15/932,526. ‘Whale Tale’ has more and larger greyed-purple spotting,more glaucous foliage, the marginal teeth are not as pronounced, and thefoliage is more outright and less arching. Other similar cultivarsinclude: ‘Catch a Wave’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,723 and ‘Silver Fox’ U.S.Plant Pat. No. 29,642. ‘Catch a Wave’ has more sinuate, less archingfoliage that is more heavily spotted. ‘Silver Fox’ has more pruinosefoliage that is less arching and the habit is smaller.

The new plant, ‘Falling Waters’, is unique from all of the abovecultivars and all Agave, X Mangave and Manfreda know to the inventor bythe following combined traits:

-   -   1. Medium mound of medium green lanceolate, broad, fleshy,        longitudinally folded foliage;    -   2. Foliage has faint spots that become more pronounced        mahogany-colored in strong ultraviolet light;    -   3. Leaf margins deeply scalloped with small teeth;    -   4. Moderate growth rate.    -   5. Foliage cascades or arches with age.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The photograph of x Mangave ‘Falling Waters’ demonstrates the overallappearance of the new plant including the unique traits as athree-year-old plant grown in a container in a greenhouse withsupplemental water and fertilizer as needed. The colors are as accurateas reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

The illustration shows the new plant with conduplicate foliage, teethand apical spines.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, X Mangave ‘FallingWaters’, has been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of a three-year old plant in a commercial wholesalegreenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer asneeded.

-   Parentage: An unnamed select form of Manfreda maculosa as female or    seed patent and an unnamed select form of Agave ovatifolia as male    or pollen parent;-   Propagation: By sterile shoot-tip tissue culture;-   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About 21 days;-   Growth rate: Moderate;-   Crop time: About 12 to 16 weeks to finish in a 3.8 liter container    from a 35 mm tissue culture growing at about 21° C.;-   Rooting habit: Fleshy, lightly branching, with roots up to 20 cm    long;-   Root color: Nearest RHS 158C;-   Plant shape and habit: Succulent herbaceous perennial with basal    rosettes of about 48 leaves radially emerging outwardly from central    stem, producing a radially-symmetrical, rounded mound;-   Plant size: Foliage height about 38.0 cm tall from soil line to the    top of the leaves and about 76.0 cm wide at the widest point    slightly below soil line in container;-   Foliage description: Lanceolate; simple; sessile; bi-laterally    symmetrical; apex acute with terminal spine; terminal spine to about    12.0 mm long; base truncate; conduplicate, especially young leaves;    margins coarsely irregularly dentate; glaucous waxy bloom abaxial    and adaxial without trichomes; with abaxial and adaxial spots about    2.0 mm to 3.0 mm long and wide rarely touching or overlapping;-   Teeth: Initially flexible, becoming hard and sharp with age; about    1.0 mm long and 1.0 mm long on end of protrusion about 4.0 mm long    and about 3.5 mm wide at base; protrusions average about 9.0 mm    apart on mature leaves;-   Leaf size: To about 30.0 cm long, about 9.0 cm wide toward base; and    about 5.0 mm thick at base; average about 28.0 cm long, 8.0 cm wide    and 4.0 mm thick;-   Foliage fragrance: None observed;-   Leaf number: About 47 per plant;-   Leaf blade color:    -   -   Adaxial (young).—Nearest RHS N138C with spots nearest RHS            137A in low ultraviolet light intensifying with high            ultraviolet exposure to nearest RHS N187A.        -   Abaxial (young).—Nearest RHS N138C with spots nearest RHS            137A in low ultraviolet light intensifying with high            ultraviolet exposure to nearest RHS N187A.        -   Adaxial (mature).—Between RHS 137D and RHS 138A with spots            intensifying with ultraviolet light exposure nearest RHS            N187A.        -   Abaxial (mature).—Between RHS 138B and RHS 137D.        -   Teeth.—Beginning nearest RHS 160D and maturing to nearest            RHS 166A.-   Petiole: Leaves sessile;-   Veins: Parallel; not distinct abaxial or adaxial;-   Flower description: Not yet observed to date;-   Fruit and seed: Not observed to date;-   Disease resistance: X Mangave ‘Falling Waters’ has not been observed    to be resistant to diseases beyond that which is normal for X    Mangave, Agave or Manfreda. The new plant is xeromorphic and    survives well with minimal water once established. The new plant is    estimated to be hardy at least from USDA zone 7b. Full extent of    winter hardiness has not been tested.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental X Mangaveplant named ‘Falling Waters’ as herein described and illustrated.